Your smoke is their smoke: think before you light up

THINK
BEFORE YOU
LIGHT OP.

It's Not Just Your Business

Cigarette smoking is dangerous to
your health.

You know that already. It's printed on
every pack of cigarettes . . . the message
from the U.S. Surgeon General.

Maybe you knew that when you
started smoking. But you decided to
smoke anyway ... to take your chances.

You saw it as your health at risk . . .
nobody else's. It was your business.

Not any more.

New Evidence That Second Hand
Smoke Endangers Health

Growing scientific evidence makes it
clear your cigarette smoke isn't just your
business.

Two recent medical studies demon-
strate that long-term exposure to ciga-
rette smoke can cause the lungs of
healthy nonsmokers . . . adults and chil-
dren ... to function abnormally.

• Nonsmokers exposed for years to
smoke at work were found to develop
significant reduction in air flow through
their lungs. They suffered the same lung
impairment as smokers who inhale 1 -
10 cigarettes a day.

• Young children whose parents
smoked at home were found to suffer
reduced lung function, compared to
children of nonsmoking parents.

It has yet to be determined whether
these abnormalities could lead to such
chronic lung diseases as emphysema.

But evidence that the lungs of healthy
nonsmoking adults and children don't
function normally when exposed to ciga-
rette smoke is worth thinking about.

Chronically 111, Young Children
Especially Endangered

Your cigarette smoke is somebody
else's business. Your family, for
example, and the people you work with
. . . everyone who shares your air.

"Second hand smoke" is not just an
annoyance. It doesn't just hurt
"feelings." ^

Most threatened are those with
chronic heart or lung diseases, such as
asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphy-

sema. Smoke-filled air can aggravate
their illness.

Carbon monoxide from cigarette
smoke reduces the amount of physical
activity heart patients can do without
feeling chest pain.

Children are especially affected by
4 second hand" smoke. Smoke in the
home can worsen symptoms in asth-
matic children, and even trigger asthma
attacks.

In several studies, even healthy chil-
dren in homes where parents smoked
were found to develop respiratory illness
twice as often as those in nonsmoking
homes.

Studies have also shown that infants
in the first year of life are particularly vul-
nerable to bronchitis and pneumonia if
their parents smoke.

Your Smoke Is Their Smoke

For all who share your breathing
space, your smoke truly is their smoke.

Consider what you're doing to those
around you when you smoke.

The concentrations of some dan-
gerous chemicals in the smoke from the
burning end of cigarettes are greater
than you, as a smoker, inhale.

More tar and nicotine. More carbon
monoxide. More cadmium . . . which
stays in the lungs and is suspected as a
contributing cause of emphysema.

"Freedom Of Choice" . . .
For Everyone

When you begin to light up, think of
those around you . . . the infant, the asth-
matic child, the elderly. Think of what
your smoke may be doing to them.

If you do, you may decide not to light
up around them.

Tobacco Institute advertising tells us
that "freedom of choice is the best
choice."

Not when the choice endangers
others . . . including those you love.

If You're A Smoker

• Please ask others in the room if they
mind if you smoke. Again, it s not just a
matter of courtesy; it s a matter of possi-
bly hurting someone's health.

• Please don't smoke in small, enclosed
areas ... or in the presence of young
children, or persons with chronic lung or
heart disease.

• Consider the scientific evidence about
the effect of smoking. We hope you'll
decide to quit ... for your sake and the
health of those around you.

If You're A Non-Smoker

• Don't be afraid to politely ask others
not to smoke. You're only protecting the
air you breathe.

• If you'r e elderly or have a

heart or lung ailment, it's especially
important that you speak up.

• Speak out for your family members
and friends who might be particularly
bothered by cigarette smoke.

• When you travel or dine out, ask for
the non-smoking sections . . . and use
them.

• At home, work, meetings of your clubs
and organizations, urge adoption of a
voluntary no-smoking rule.

Know Your State's Laws

Many states have laws restricting
smoking in public places. Know the laws
that apply in your state. Speak out for
enactment of legislation you feel is nec-
essary to the health of nonsmokers.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Division of Preventive Medicine

Smokers Quitline 1-800-952-7444

Michael S. Dukakis, Governor
Manuel Carhallo, Secretary of Human Services
Bailus Walker, Jr., Commissioner of Public Health

Developed in cooperation with the
Health Departments ot Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

Photo by Myron